A pollution-monitoring pilot study involving contaminant and biomarker measurements in the Seine Estuary, France, using zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha)

Type Article
Date 2006
Language English
Author(s) Minier Christophe1, Abarnou Alain2, Jaouen Madoulet Agnes1, Le Guellec Anne-Marie2, Tutundjian Renaud1, Bocquene Gilles3, Leboulenger François1
Affiliation(s) 1 : Univ Havre, Lab Ecotoxicol, LEMA, F-76058 Le Havre, France.
2 : IFREMER, Dept Biogeochim & Ecotoxicol, F-29280 Plouzane, France.
3 : IFREMER, Dept Biogeochim & Ecotoxicol, Nantes 03, France.
Source Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (0730-7268) (SETAC), 2006 , Vol. 25 , N. 1 , P. 112-119
WOS© Times Cited 88
Keyword(s) Biomarkers, Multixenobiotic resistance, Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, Polychlorinated biphenyls, Dreissena polymorpha
Abstract Zebra mussel (Dreissena polymorpha) is an invasive species that has proliferated in European and North American rivers and lakes during the last century. In this study, D. polymorpha has been used to provide information on contamination levels and biological effects in the Seine Estuary (France). The bivalves accumulated polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) to a high degree with values reaching 800 ng/g dry weight for PCBs (sum of 20 congeners), and 1,000 ng/g dry weight of PAHs (sum of 14 compounds) in the whole body. These values are among the highest reported of PCBs and, to a lesser extent, of PAHs in other contaminated areas in the world. Toxic equivalent quantities of PCBs and PAHs detected in zebra mussels varied from 20 to 40 pg dioxin equivalents/g dry weight for PCBs and up to 120 ng benzo[alpha]pyrene equivalents/g dry weight for PAHs, indicating a high potential risk for animals feeding on them. Biological impacts, such as altered condition index, decreased lysosomal stability, and high levels of multixenobiotic resistance (MXR) proteins also were detected in mussels living downstream of Rouen, the main city of the Seine Estuary. Taken together, these results indicate that the Seine Estuary is a heavily polluted area with the potential to cause deleterious health effects in some endogenous living organisms. This study also shows that chemical and biological measurements bring different but complementary results that can help diagnose environmental health.
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Minier Christophe, Abarnou Alain, Jaouen Madoulet Agnes, Le Guellec Anne-Marie, Tutundjian Renaud, Bocquene Gilles, Leboulenger François (2006). A pollution-monitoring pilot study involving contaminant and biomarker measurements in the Seine Estuary, France, using zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha). Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, 25(1), 112-119. Open Access version : https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00000/2130/